Last Word on Hockey brings you another round of NHL Trade Rumours. With today’s rumours focusing on the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens.
NHL Trade Rumours
Dallas Stars:
Rumour: On Thursday’s 31 Thoughts by Elliotte Friedman he mentioned that the Stars may be looking to shop Mattias Janmark.
.@FriedgeHNIC breaks down the situation in Edmonton in his latest 31 Thoughts, presented by @GMCcanada. https://t.co/Q038haPzrb
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 24, 2019
Analysis: Janmark has scored only three goals this year for the Stars. The veteran forward could draw interest for teams looking for a rental for their playoff push. Despite the low numbers statistically, Janmark has been playing in the Stars top-six most of this season. Along with Janmark, the Stars are also shopping Valeri Nichushkin and Brett Ritchie.
Detroit Red Wings
The Rumour: According to Chris Nichols, Darren Dreger of TSN is saying that the Wings are unlikely to trade Andreas Athanasiou unless it is a can’t-miss opportunity for them.
Analysis: The Red Wings come into the All-Star break with a losing record and are in the midst of a rebuild. Even though they may look at trading goaltender Jimmy Howard, one player that they are not looking to trade is Anthanasiou. He is currently second in goals on the team (17) and third in points (30). He is a speedy forward and also helps on the second powerplay unit. With two years left on his contract, it is unlikely that the Ontario native will be leaving Detroit anytime soon.
Montreal Canadiens
The Rumour: According to TSN hockey Insider Pierre Lebrun the Habs could use their excess cap space to take on a bad contract from another team as well as adding a valuable asset. This would be similar to the move they made in the summer when they traded for Joel Armia.
Rumeurs : une autre transaction à la Joel Armia pour le Canadien?https://t.co/1Py1JYpsWo
— RDS (@RDSca) January 25, 2019
Analysis: The Habs acquired Armia from the Winnipeg Jets in the off-season along with Steve Mason (who they promptly bought out) and a pair of draft picks. The Canadiens gave up struggling prospect Simon Bourque, who received a mutual release (to play USports hockey) less than two months into this season. Armia has been a solid addition to the team.
With a ton of cap space, Marc Bergevin could help facilitate a cap-strapped team making a deadline addition and would pick up a piece to do so. While this could be a prospect or draft pick, if the Habs are looking to improve their current team, the biggest needs include a puck-moving left-handed defenceman and a winger who can add some punch to the 31st ranked power play in the NHL.
Dallas Stars forward Mattias Janmark skates against the San Jose Sharks. (Getty Images)
